THIS invention relates to a padlock.
A known padlock marketed under the name ENVOSEAL has a lock body of multi-part, moulded plastics construction and a metal hasp which is generally U-shaped. A first leg of the hasp is held captive in the lock body in such a manner that the hasp can pivot and slide relative to the lock body between respective open and closed positions. When the hasp is in a closed position the end of its second leg locates in an opening in the lock body and a transverse hole in the first leg aligns with a transverse hole in the lock body. A frangible plastic seal is clipped to the lock body such that a part of the seal locates in the aligned holes. This prevents pivotal movement of the hasp from the closed to the open position until such time as the seal is broken and removed. Breakage of the seal Indicates that the lock has been tampered with.
Padlocks of this kind are used in many different applications where a tamper-evident seal is required. One example is in airline trolleys used to store duty free goods, alcoholic beverages and the like. Typically, the padlock in such an application is used to lock the door or drawer of the trolley in a closed position.
A drawback of the known padlock described above is that it is expensive to manufacture, partly because individually moulded plastic components have to be assembled about the metal hasp and then connected to one another to hold the hasp leg captive. Another drawback is that the design of the padlock dictates that it must have a fairly substantial thickness. For economy of space and packing airline trolleys have a recess to receive the installed lock but this is often too shallow to accommodate the known lock fully. As a result the lock projects from the trolley and can either present an obstruction or itself be impacted on and possibly damaged.